Keep the kids in college… or not?

Oh, I just love the news stories of students suing to try to keep other students down, don’t you? It reminds me of the good old days of scapegoating and bullying marginalized groups to get ahead in an already broken system.

In Kansas, a group of students paying out of state tuition attempted to sue the public universities of the state over the 2004 law that allows undocumented students [who for the most part are residents of Kansas] to attend Kansas universities and pay in-state tuition. The students alleged that they suffered damages from the state allowing undocumented students to attend college, and pay in-state tuition.

Under the Kansas law [of 2004], students are eligible for in-state tuition if they attended a Kansas high school for at least three years and graduated, or earned a general educational development certificate in Kansas. Illegal immigrants who meet those conditions also must show they are working toward legal immigration status.

A federal appeals court judge has ruled that the students who are trying to bring the lawsuit have no standing for their case because they simply cannot prove “concrete and imminent” injury from the law. The removal of the law would have in no way bettered the students bringing the lawsuit- because the law wasn’t directed at them and it wasn’t injuring them in any way.

Why would Kansas students be suing universities to remove a law that doesn’t even affect them? I smell the manipulations of anti-immigrant groups. Well, clearly their case has no legs, and unfortunately the court has upheld the rights of hard,working residents of Kansas who are trying to better themselves, their families and their communities.

The DREAM students- youth who are currently undocumented, but who could have a path to citizenship if the DREAM Act passes- are some of the most upstanding, model community members I’ve ever met. Let’s choose to keep the kids in college, let’s pass DREAM, and make sure that our younger brothers and sisters can have opportunities that so many of our generation haven’t had.